Tess Thompson Thor Ragnarok
Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok. Marvel

Thor: Ragnarok star Tessa Thompson has revealed how she asked Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige directly about making an all-female Avengers movie – and apparently the mastermind of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) said "yes".

During a press conference ahead of the release of the Thor sequel next week (24 October) Thompson said (via io9): "Recently, I marched up with a couple of other women that work in Marvel and we went to Kevin, 'What about a movie with some female super heroes?'"

"There's a precedent for it in the comics, right? With teams like Lady Liberators?"

There is! The Lady Liberators were a team created in 1970 that, over the years, has included characters such as Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Wasp and Valkyrie, who Thompson plays in the new movie.

Those first three characters mentioned above already exist in the MCU too, played by Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen and Evangeline Lilly respectively.

Other characters who have formed part of the comic line-up include She-Hulk, X-Men character Storm and Fantastic Four member Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman.

"It was a pretty amazing moment to be somewhere and have your shoulder get tapped and turn around [and see] every female hero we have is standing there going, 'How about it?'" Feige added. "And I said, 'Yes.'"

Feige's enthusiasm doesn't mean such a film will actually come to pass however. Over the years numerous planned superhero films have never seen the light of day, including a solo outing for Johansson's Black Widow.

To date Marvel Studios hasn't produced a superhero movie led by a woman, and it's been something the company has come under fire for. That will change in 2019, however, when Brie Larson takes up the title role in Captain Marvel.

Next year's Ant-Man and the Wasp will mark the first time in the MCU a female character will be in the title of a film. Lily will take the role as Wasp opposite Paul Rudd as Ant-Man.

Marvel Studios has produced many great female characters over the years, but hasn't yet let them flourish out of the shadows of their male counterparts.

Thor: Ragnarok stars Chris Hemsworth as the God of Thunder opposite Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, Tom Hiddleston as Loki and Cate Blanchett as Hela. The film arrives in UK cinemas on 24 October.